The Show:
With the sixth volume, Kyo Kara Maoh takes a turn for the better
and becomes a bit more dark and serious. Building on the events that
have gone on in the past, as well as filling in some gaps and answering
a lot of questions about the series, the four episodes on this disc really
bring things to a head as a war is about to break out and the outcome is
anything but certain. Much more engrossing than the previous volumes,
this volume is one of the best yet.
Series Synopsis:
Yuri Shibuya is a typical high school student. He enjoys playing
baseball, can sometimes let his temper get the better of him, and views
school as a necessary evil at best. One day after school though,
he discovers that he isn't as typical as he thought. While being
picked on by some bullies, he's pushing into a rest room stall, his head
is put in the toilet and it's flushed. Instead of getting wet though,
he actually gets sucked into the toilet and somehow gets transported to
another land.
When people in this land see his black hair and black eyes they proclaim
him the Demon King, leader of all demons. This isn't something he
really wants or needs, but it's hard to turn down a kingdom.
Demons in this world look and act like humans, but they each have a
magical power which makes them more powerful than the humans. This
uneven distribution of power makes the humans very nervous, and when the
Demon King appears, they are sure it signals the start of a war.
With humans gathering magician mercenaries the demon kingdom starts preparing
for war too. Yuri doesn't want to go to war, but it's hard to stop
it once things get set in motion.
Volume Six:
The disc opens with Yuri and Greta returning from their adventures in
the resort town. They bring back the wounded Hube, a member of the
human tribe who was exiled 20 years ago and attacked the Demon King in
the previous episode. No one in the castle is happy to see Hube back
again, but under Yuri's orders they tend to his wounds.
The young king gets a history lesson when he asks why everyone hates
Hube so much. Due to some rash actions that Hube took on the battle
field in the last great demon tribe-human war, a demon village was razed
to the ground. Hundreds were killed, including one of the best magic
users from the demon tribe, Lady Suzanna Julia von Wincott.
Wrapping up the problem of what to do with Hube, Yuri finally accepts
the fact that he's the demon king and comes to grips living in another
world. Of course, as he comes to accept his situation, he gets transported
back to the real world.
This volume also reveals a lot of secrets about Yuri's origins.
How he got to the human world, why he was sent there, and also why Conrart
is so protective of the young ruler. A great episode that explains
a lot.
When Yuri returns to the demon world, is isn't because the demon tribe
wants him to come back, an enemy has pulled him back for some nefarious
purposes. Luckily, the religious order in the demon world notices
the trickery and are able to pin-point where Yuri will turn up. Conrart,
Ginter and Greta rush to meet him, and get to him just as all hell breaks
loose.
This was one of the best volumes so far. Not only does it revel
a lot of the back story, but the show also takes a darker turn. Things
aren't as light and care free as some of the earlier episodes. People
are getting hurt and the stakes are very high.
Though it's darker, the show starts getting really interesting too,
with mysterious forces after Yuri and the humans preparing for war.
Though previous volumes have been good, they weren't nearly as engrossing
as the episodes on this disc. For the first time with this series
I was really wishing that there were more episodes included after I finished
the four on this disc.
This is a solid show with some good stories. There were some fun
surprises in this volume and the story has taken on more continuity than
it previously has. There are a few references to earlier story lines
that makes the show more textured and adds some to the show.
There's also a good amount of humor in the show, though it's not a comedy.
One of the highlights of this disc is the race between a giant panda bear
and a gargantuan koala. If the idea isn't odd enough, the race it
self is very funny.
The DVD:
Audio:
This show has the original Japanese and an English dub track, both in
stereo. I alternated listening to these tracks, and while I preferred
the Japanese track, I thought the English voice actors did a good job.
Both tracks were very clean and clear with no evidence of distortion or
other audio defects.
Video:
This show is presented in an anamorphically enhanced widescreen (1.78:1).
The picture looked very good, with excellent color. The lines were
very sharp and the level of detail fine. Digital defects were not
noticed, with even chain link fences and other diagonal lines not showing
traces of aliasing. A very good looking transfer.
Extras:
The only extra on this disc is a gallery of line animation from the
series.
Final Thoughts:
This is the best disc so far in this series. They answer a lot
of questions and fill in some of the background to the show, something
I was wondering if they were ever going to do, and start the next major
story arc that should bring us to the end of the series, three discs hence.
The show, always light and enjoyable, has become a bit darker but also
much more engrossing. If you've been watching up to this point, you'll
really want to pick this disc up. A strong recommendation.
Buy: